Hello and welcome to that most auspicious of occasions, the architect address, welcome, welcome, take a seat. Today we’re here to talk about some of the videos that came out recently, what I think of them and what it was like to make them.
First up, let’s talk about the video I did all about short games, ending and Before Your Eyes. When you’re in my line of work, you end up playing...
2021-07-16 23:19:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Videogames are a storytelling medium, everyone knows that - but unlike their contemporaries, they allow us to write our own stories too - by interacting with the systems and mechanics of games, we can tell gripping stories of survival against the odds, create epic rivalries between us and NPCs, and epic quests starring heroes of our own creation.
So... how can gam...
Hey, you might've noticed the title for the video changed! I thought it wasn't very clear what the video was about (plus it wasn't doing too well in terms of views!) so I changed it - just a little bit of transparency!
Endings are something that we don't appreciate enough, we spend so much time trying to squeeze every drop of content from games that we often don't get around t...
2021-06-15 17:50:55 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! And welcome to the Architect Address for the month of may 2021. Rather than my usual aimless rambling I do before I talk about the videos I’ve done recently, I thought I’d talk about the after the video segment because I noticed a youtube comment that I’ve since lost asked me why I make a point of shouting out random people who’ve never heard of me in every video, and probably do...
2021-05-28 11:45:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Note: Eagle-Eyed patrons might've spotted a last second name change from "why resident evil doesn't need to be scary" to what you can see above you. This is because the prior name - on top of being so clickbaity that it wasn't actually true - was a bit boring so I swapped it out. Looks like I'll have to forgo all the sweet, sweet engagement I'd get from people correcting me and spoiling everyon...
2021-05-22 22:54:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Apologies for the late upload! My original attempt corrupted!
Check out Laura's channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgBcTeH9MIsQteTNufpiuxA
Tanks, Supports and Damage Dealers are a staple of... too many games to count - and no matter where you look this holy trinity seems to ...
2021-05-01 03:51:33 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi hello and welcome to yet another Architect Address, how are you doing? Cool. Good to hear.
So, what’s been happening over the past few weeks over here in Architect HQ? Well quite a few things, first and foremost is that I’m ramping up to another big video along the lines of the undertale one and the Near A Tomato one, this time about Disco Elysium - I’m not sure when I’ll fully...
2021-04-10 21:04:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Why are puzzles so popular? They're less exciting than action games, less compelling than narrative ones, and less challenging than the peak of strategy games, but in spite of all that - they're enduringly popular. Why?
The Architect has delved into both ancient records and cutting-edge games to try and figure this out, and after some initial confusion, they've happened...
2021-04-07 01:38:09 +0000 UTC View Post
Swords have been a mainstay of human culture since before you fleshy sacs of mostly water knew how to write - all across the world, nearly every culture has its version of the sword, and a whole host of stories and heroes to accompany it.
Tales of swordfighting are all about high adventure, epic battles, and legendary duels between masters of the blade - but how can we adapt them to video...
2021-03-16 06:05:07 +0000 UTC View Post
The second video was Why Hitman Isn’t a Stealth Game… or was it? Eagle-eyed viewers might’ve noticed that I actually changed the name from “How Hitman Teaches You To Be Creative” which, it’s just a bit boring right? That title could come from anyone but the line about it not being a stealth game is a statement, it challenges your expectations and promises some sort of critical angle...
2021-02-28 03:59:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Hitman is a hell of a franchise. It's been around for just over two decades and it's been rebooted and overhauled more times than anyone can count (3), and over its many iterations, the team behind it have learned some very interesting lessons about how to get people to play a certain way, and about what kind of game they were actually making.
With Hitman 3 marking the end of Agent 47's c...
2021-02-23 00:51:35 +0000 UTC View Post
Sorry for the late upload! Youtube decided my original upload was FORBIDDEN and purged it from the internet for unknown reasons!
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For decades video game discourse has been dominated by a single word, one with no clear meaning but a whole lot of promises to deliver: Immersion. As much as we love to use the word immersion to describe gripping experiences that draw...
Hi, hello and it’s time for a 2020 wrapup spectacular. I’m technically still taking a bit of a break but whatever - let’s get this thing done shall we. The original plan was to record this and do a full Architect Address but there’s some loud building work going on outside and I’ve delayed this for long enough as it is!
Anyway, let’s get on topic. First of all, welcome to all ...
2021-01-07 18:29:43 +0000 UTC View Post
2020 has been a hell of a year for a variety of reasons, there's been social movements, disasters, political upheaval... and also some fantastic videogames. However, with all the big-name blockbusters taking up everyone's attention, some smaller games that are just as good haven't gotten the praise they deserve.
It falls, once again, to The Archi...
2020-12-31 02:46:53 +0000 UTC View Post
Explosive barrels have been a trope for as long as video games have existed, appearing in everything from shooters to strategy games, but why? What possible advantage could there be to all videogames copying eachother?
Well, as it turns out, the reason goes much deeper than just red cylinders filled with explosives. Barrels are a symbol, they communicate &nbs...
2020-12-21 23:10:58 +0000 UTC View Post
"It gets good... Eventually" it's an observation that you've no doubt heard before about the latest TV show, book, game or whatever. By this point, it's all but expected that any game over a particular length won't actually be fun for several play sessions until you've got it all figured out. But does this need to be the case? The Architect doesn't think so. ...
2020-12-03 03:32:43 +0000 UTC View Post
What’s up? It’s the architect address! I’m here today to chat for a few minutes about the videos that have come out recently and go over what I think of them, how well I think they did and some other details.
Before that though, I want to talk about the release schedule, or lack thereof. RIght now the average time for me to get a video out is around three weeks, which is a little lo...
2020-11-14 01:49:32 +0000 UTC View Post
So it turns out the original upload of this failed overnight and you all could've gotten this half a day earlier! To make up for that I'll release the Architect Address a day earlier than expected, sorry patrons!
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Spelunky 2 is a hell of a game, what else could you expect out of the mastermind that is Derek Yu? It's also really, really hard - to the point that whoev...
Among Us is the hot new game right now - and who can blame it? It's tense, innovative and from a long tradition of games about lying to your friends, it's great. But what caused Among Us to become popular now? And what does any of that have in common with an old Russian psychology experiment from the 80s?
Fresh from another killing spree, The Architect is det...
Hello hello and welcome to the Architect Address - the occasional video I do to explain what the deal is with the channel and the last couple of videos. This monthish I managed to get myself a new computer, and whilst the longing video is mostly to thank for that, you patrons are as well so cheers for that, I can finally run adobe premiere without it chugging constantly. The transf...
2020-10-03 01:25:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Sorry for the wait! Between a short break, numerous technical mishaps and a new computer, this took longer than intended! My apologies!
RPGs are a classic genre - so much so that they've been around since before the dawn of videogames. However, despite their years of evolution and tradition, RPGs have a problem - namely, that no-one can ever finish the damn things, why?...
We did it! 250 subscribers! Thank you all so much for your support over the years! As a way of giving back, The Architect has organised for some of your most popular and pressing questions to be answered.
Onwards and upwards to - err - 500 I guess?
I only asked some of the Patron questions so I'll go back and answer the rest right now!
Hello!
So, I just hit 250 subscribers! - THAT happened much sooner than I expected. Thank you all so much for your support in getting to the big one quarter of the way to 1000 milestone!
In the grand tradition of the previous time I hit a subscriber milestone, I thought it might be fun to celebrate with a special Architect of Games Q&A Extravaganza, where you all ask...
2020-09-09 17:19:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey, a bit of a special director's cut this time around which is why it's going out to everyone!
Back in university, long long ago - I did a dissertation on Metafiction in games which just so happens to be the topic of this video. A lot of the talking points that I would've liked to go over in this video are covered here, albeit in a different style than usual.
It might be...
Frog Fractions, developed by Twinbeard Studios is the canonical fractions-based video game of all time, the best there is. In this video, The Architect unpacks exactly what makes Frog Fractions the best fraction-sim of all time and how it came to be the father of the fractionlike genre.
Yep. That's it.
You Saw:
Frog Fractions (2012)
Undertale (2015)
The...
2020-09-05 00:51:53 +0000 UTC View Post
Shh! Don't tell anyone! It's a new Architect Address!
Hello and welcome to the architect address, a weirdly named occasional segment that I release to keep people abreast of what’s going on, talk about the videos that have come out and show some gameplay footage I thought you might want to see.
This month-ish has seen two very interesting videos which are both notewo...
2020-08-18 23:24:31 +0000 UTC View Post
I really wanted to get this one out on time but I'm up at 3AM once more! just as I was about to upload to patreon I realised an entire segment of the video had borked-up audio. Sorry about the delay!
Time's a funny thing, isn't it? We've got so much of it and yet it never feels like enough. So many games are about time, and they've all got different ways of using it to motivate and m...
I sure do love fighting with adobe premiere ahahahahahaahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAenjoy the video!
If you've played any online game ever, chances are you've run into some form of toxicity. From BM, to name calling to the old classic teabagging, meanness and vitriol in games comes in a variety of forms. For years game developers have tried to fix thi...
2020-07-24 01:42:38 +0000 UTC View Post
Okay, Architect Address time, what’s up friends? How have you been doing? Staying safe during the lockdown stuff? Good.
So, what’s been going on with the channel in the last month and a bit, well - we hit 200 subscribers, first and foremost, yay! Seriously it’s a big milestone and I’m incredibly grateful to you all for continuing to support the channel in spite ...
2020-07-07 00:32:04 +0000 UTC View PostHey, hey, hey and come on down to read the latest director’s cut - the special patron thing where I talk about a cut talking point from the latest video. The topic today? Hero Battlers.
For those not in the know, hero battlers are a fairly recent genre that see you going up against usually seven other players to buy heroes from a central market, plonk them down on a board and watch them...
2020-07-03 18:12:18 +0000 UTC View Post